Tag: winter

  • Brown Butter & Parmesan Mushroom Pasta

    Greetings from London!

    I am currently sitting in a tiny bustling coffee house filled with locals sharing communal tables. As I sit here, listening to ’60s music and enjoying a London fog, I can’t help but feel like I’m in someone else’s dream.

    I’ve only been here for a few days, and I’m already totally smitten. When I get back next week, you’re all going to get an earful – or eyeful, rather – about everything I’ve been doing and eating. Until then, I’ve got a bangin’ pasta recipe for you guys, which also just happens to be perfect for the final weeks of the winter doldrums. (more…)

  • Butternut Squash Cavatelli & Balsamic Caramelized Onion Pesto

    Butternut-Cavatelli

    Boston got hit with a big ol’ blizzard yesterday, leaving us all a little bit buried. And as I stare out of my bedroom window onto the adjacent roof tops all covered in a hefty helping of heavy snow, I can’t help but think about what it means to feel stuck.

    Butternut-Cavatelli-Close-Up

    I’m pretty sure there is no such thing as “stuck”. We make it up so we feel better about not being able to decide what to do with ourselves. When we’re surrounded by a feeling of heavy wetness that prevents us from even leaving the house, it’s easy to feel as if we have no choice but to stay put. We forget how we used to stomp around when we were kids, bundled up to our eyeballs in snow gear, having snowball fights and building igloos with any other kids that happened to be nearby.

    We forget how to unstick ourselves.

    Creamy-Caramelized-Onion-Pesto (more…)

  • Blog News + New York City, Part II

    Hey guys, Leili here. We’ve got big changes happening around here that you ought to know about, so keep on readin’ for a full update!

    I just got back from spending a few days in New York City with some family. The city at this time of year is always the most magical, and gives me all kinds of warm and fuzzies. Our plan was to finish up our Christmas shopping, but unsurprisingly, we were too disorganized to make that happen. (And let’s be real – I’ll just end up running to the mall the day before Christmas like I do every year anyway.)

    Instead of shopping, we mostly focused on filling our stomachs with good food and plenty of hot chocolate.

    Some of the food I had was out-of-this-world-amazing, so I really wanted to share it with you. These are places we didn’t cover in last summer’s New York City post, but they should be on your list for your next visit. (more…)

  • Skillet Chocolate-Swirled Espresso Banana Bread

    skillet espresso chocolate banana bread

    Why is being physically graceful an admired trait?

    I find it impossible. I drop things whenever I’m talking to someone important, I knock things over when I’m trying to be quiet, I trip more often than I’d like to admit, and I’m constantly bumping into people. And furniture. And walls.

    skillet marbled banana bread

    I also have a plum-like propensity to bruise, so you’d think I’d learn. I haven’t yet.

    Maybe that makes me sound like a toddler, or a drunk. Or a drunken toddler. But I assure you, I am just a woman in her 20s trying to navigate through the world, incapable of bodily dexterity and perfectly okay with that.

    black bananas (more…)

  • Mayan Chocolate Cookies

    Mayan Cookies Plate

    Friends, I think I may have just fallen in love this year on Valentine’s Day. That’s right, I’m in love. I have fallen in love with the beautiful craft of baking. Especially cookies.

    Mayan Cookie Close Up

    About a year ago, Leili gave me a cookie mix created by the amazing Ashley Rodriguez and from there I baked my first batch of perfect cookies. For months, I kept the empty container so I could read the ingredients and set out on my own to create my perfect cookies. I’ve concocted several recipes since that time and have had wonderful feedback, but I’m still chasing after more perfect cookies. Who doesn’t love a good cookie to sweeten up their day? (more…)

  • Tomato Sauce with Sausages and Mushrooms

    Tomato Sauce Final 2

    January is halfway over. Isn’t that crazy? For me, the first month is always a bit confusing – we’ve eaten all these cookies and other feasts around the holidays and we’re expected to just go clean come the New Year. To add to that, it’s also the coldest month of the year. I try to eat healthy generally, but the wintry skies gently nudge me to stay at home and splurge on a hearty meal. You guys still following me?

    Tomato Sauce Final

    I’ve never been a big believer in diets, but I do occasionally cave into peer pressure to eat cleaner than I usually do during January. But let’s be realistic here: all you want in the middle of winter is a huge helping of pasta loaded with cheese. Tell me I’m not alone here. (more…)

  • Cacio e Pepe

    simple cacio e pepe

    Simplicity.

    It’s something we could all use a little more of.

    cacio e pepe spaghetti

    So I’ll do you a solid and get right to the good stuff, because we both know why you’re here. (more…)

  • Curry Potato Leek Soup

    Curry Potato Leek Soup Final

    Happy Happy New Year! First of all, I hope you all had a wonderful time welcoming 2016 – I did it the old fashioned way by enjoying a bittersweet dinner at West Bridge’s last service and seeing Star Wars and being in bed before midnight rang out. Crazy stuff.

    Curry Potato Leek Soup Spoon

    Secondly, why is Boston so cold all of a sudden? It was over 60 degrees on Christmas Eve and I actually wore a dress. One week later and I’m bundled up in my wool coat and boots whenever I can summon the energy to go outside and pray I don’t get blown away by the sharp winds. My body and closet are equally confused by the hot and cold temper of Mother Nature. Literally. (more…)

  • Crispy Roasted Potatoes

    Crispy Potatoes

    Is it just me or did Christmas just show up out of nowhere? I believe the warm weather is to blame for this mind trick. I’m not complaining about this very charming December we’ve been having, but I did maybe forget what month it was and had to rush out to the shops with the other Christmas procrastinators. It was not a pretty scene.

    Crispy Potatoes Ingredients

    Now that my very hectic shopping season is over, I can finally focus on the Christmas meal. What do people have on Christmas anyway? I’m never quite sure. People tell me it’s ham but I still want turkey but my squad informs me that’s so last month. (more…)

  • Intense European Hot Chocolate

    european hot chocolate mix
    You know how I feel about chocolate.

    Even if you haven’t been around here enough to hear me drone on and on about it for the past year, my relationship with this godly substance is pretty clear. I mean, if you have eyes.

    rich european style hot chocolate (more…)